India
Opposition leader in Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala said he failed to understand why one of the women was given a police riot gear while she was attempting to visit the shrine — when the law says anybody other than a police person wearing the uniform is a punishable offence
Thiruvananthapuram: Opposition leader of the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala blamed CPI(M)-led LDF government for failing to evaluate the situation of women's entry in Sabarimala temple. Chennithala stated that it was the state government’s duty to strike a balance between the Supreme Court judgment and the sentiment of Ayyappa devotees.
The opposition leader said the state government could have taken a mature decision on the Supreme Court verdict. It has failed in assessing the situation, Chennithala said. He said the RSS and BJP were turning Sabarimala into a “battlefield”. The government, with its casual attitude, has aggravated the issue, too.
When asked about Friday’s event where a woman journalist Kavitha Jakkal and an activist Rehana Fathima tried to enter the Sabarimala temple, Chennithala said that giving a police riot gear to one of the women was wrong and it was an offence.
"As per the Kerala Police Act, it is unacceptable that anybody else other than the police wear the uniform (or riot gear). It is a non-bailable offence with six-months imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 2,000."
The authority has imposed Section 144, which prevents the assembly of more than four people, in Pamba, Elavungal and Nilakkal. The Sabarimala temple opened on Wednesday at 5 PM and will close on October 22.
Protestors vandalised a bus carrying journalists and other passengers near the Nilakkal base camp. The police resorted to lathi-charge as the protestors began to pelt stones. Places around the Sabarimala temple such as Pamba, Nilakkal, Sannidhanam and Elavungal witnessed massive protests after the temple reopened on Wednesday.
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